It may sound cliched, but the truth is "first impressions are the best impressions". First impressions hold a key to a lot of social, interpersonal, and business relations as well as outcomes. Research has established that the first few seconds of your meeting with a prospective employer can determine the chances of your succeeding at getting the job beating out stiff competition.

The age old cliche of "first impressions" can be comfortably extended for homes going on sale as well. A beautifully landscaped "home-for-sale" exudes the confidence of a cool job applicant in a perfectly tailored suit with a firm handshake. Like the sanguine job applicant walking away with the job, the home with a lovely curb appeal finds a taker easily.

When you pull up to an eye catching house, it advertises and sells itself. Additionally, a smart curb appeal job can inflate your real estate value by as much as 12.4%. So even if there is a slump in the real estate market you do not lose out.

Curb Appeal and Professional Landscape Management Firms

The thought of buffing up your home on your own to increase its face value might be an appealing idea. But it is better to leave the job to a professional landscape management firm. They have the expertise to pull the existing and new together for a harmonious result.

Professional landscape management firms will add or remove elements to the landscape for improving your home's curb appeal. Trained professionals from landscape management firms can transform your exterior landscape by re-designing existing plant beds with new shrubs, evergreens and perennials. They can also add curb appeal with flower planters and decorative structures strategically placed throughout the property. Outdoor lighting is another strategic way to enhance the beauty of the landscape.

Curb Appeal in Chicago

A house that may be put up for sale in the future has to have a landscape that will be pleasing to others' tastes. Older people prefer trees in their property and younger people love the lawns. According to Angela Ford, CEO of T.A.G Properties Inc., Chicago, a quicker way to enhancing curb appeal is to add shrubbery, bushes, and evergreens to frame the entrance.

Realtors in Chicago, like the rest of the realtors of the nation, believe firmly in the importance of curb appeal. Nearly 83% of the realtors feel that the saleability of homes listed under $150, 000 is greatly affected by mature trees in the landscape. This perception rises to 98% of realtors in case of properties listed above $250,000.

There are interior design firms that "stage" homes for sale. When planning to put your home on the market, don't forget about your home's landscaping. It too should be staged. Let professional landscape management firms, like many of those in Chicago, provide you with solutions to enhance your homes curb appeal and, therefore, its saleability in a changing housing market.